In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.
We begin with the elimination of one of our three finalists, which is a sad time for everyone since it's Cory who gets the ax. He feels hopeless and completely despondent, but at least he doesn't have to pretend to be a dude-man anymore. We learn that Tyra put the models through this traumatic experience because once she got canned from a Versace show in Paris after she'd already had her hair and makeup done. Please don't tell me this has something to do with Naomi Campbell being mean to her. Get OVER it, woman!
The runway show takes place in the "Beautiful Garden of Good Fortune," and people with fire are involved. Last season's winner Laura James is on hand to give Marvin and Jourdan the unique and profound advice to be fierce and smize. Tyra talks about how she learned that the culture in Bali revolves around good versus evil (e.g., Tyra versus Naomi, which is what everything in Tyra's brain revolves around) and also chanting. And this is where the laugh riot of a video that the models filmed last week comes in. In this video, which I guess is there to raise awareness of domestic abuse issues (???????), there is a lot of Jourdan running with her hair bouncing in the wind. She leaves her happy relationship with angelic Marvin and then gets discovered as a model, lusting after fellow evildoer model Cory. Angelic Marvin has a sad in response. But then one year later, Jourdan catches Cory making out with Laura. She also has a bruise on her temple, which I find quite odd. Lucky for her, angelic Marvin has not moved on yet, and just stands there gazing lovingly from his angelic halo haze.
Finally we get to the runway show, and Marvin, Jourdan and Cory are roughly in character. Some poor Top Model PAs had to make signs with glitter paint that correspond to the finalists' signature colors. Who knew you could find a Michaels in Bali? We see other eliminated models walk, too, and are left to wonder why Jiana didn't win this whole thing. Kelly and Tyra totally heckle and scream at all the contestants. Mike deserves it, since he still walks like he's wearing a poopy diaper. Jourdan stumbles a little when her heel gets caught in her dress, but overall is just fine. Triumph of the spirit and all that. Jourdan, Marvin and Cory then continue their drama on the runway, where Jourdan pushes Cory down and takes photos of him for some odd reason. She then kisses Marvin straight on the lips, which comes as a surprise to him. And then everyone walks down the runway with that "20" hand symbol, and also boo domestic violence, I guess.
After Marvin and Jourdan have one final photo shoot with Tyra, they go before the judges. The judges deliberate for a while about whether Jourdan's innate dullness matters or not, and apparently they decide that boring is cool. Jourdan wins, handily. Marvin cries but is bumblingly dignified about it, and Chris and Mike are each handed $1,000 for their catwalk crew service to the winner.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!The end is nigh! Yes, the 20th cycle of America's Top Model is coming to a close, and dudes have been involved this time. There is a fiery runway coming up, and Tyra asks who we're rooting for to win some of the biggest prizes in the show's history. Will it be Marvin, the Latin Bronx flirt with chiseled cheekbones and an expired condom who has found his stride in photos and romance with Renee? Or is it Jourdan, the insecure country cutie whose passion for modeling has made her unstoppable and an annoyance to everyone lo these last weeks? Or perhaps Cory, a hero for our time who is determined to show the world that androgyny is beautiful? Yes, it's Cory! Of course it's Cory. And you put him in this final three just to play with our emotions, didn't you Tyra?
If you'll recall, last week the judges held an impromptu elimination right before the final three were set to take the runway. Their rankings were based solely on the Guess photos, and there were positive and negative comments about each. Tyra tells our final three that the judges have already scored the photos, as has social media. The results are in. Cory already looks defeated, before Tyra says that she only has two photos in her hands. And you know what those two photos represent. The first model who's still in the running is…Jourdan. She got an 8 from Kelly and 9's from Tyra and Rob, along with a fan vote of 6. That’s 32 points total. And then we see the respective scores for Marvin and Cory. Marvin got a 7 from Kelly and 8's from Rob and Tyra, along with a fan vote of 4.5. That's 27.5 points overall. And dear, sweet, lovable Cory got a 10 from Tyra, 7 from Rob, and a freaking FIVE from Kelly, along with a fan vote of 4.6. That's 26.6 points, which means that he's been eliminated. Marvin's catwalk crew is obviously happy for him, though Marvin acts appropriately somber as he gives Cory an awkward hug.
A tearful Cory interviews that he feels hopeless, and that there's nothing he can do except model his ass off. Tyra hugs Cory, and tells him that even coming this far is still huge for him. Then she goes, "LGBT, holla holla holla! Hero." What is she even TALKING about? Cory is happy that he gets to be himself out on the runway and not have to take on the role of a dude-man. And he's also happy that he showed people that you can be a queen AND be on America's Top Model. I didn't realize that was a barrier that had to be overcome in the post-Jays era, but okay. Tyra tells Cory that he will still be walking in the fashion show, before going on to regale the models with the story about how once when she was about to walk the runway for Versace in Paris, she was cancelled (already in full hair and makeup) 15 minutes before the show was to begin. Yes, Tyra eliminated Cory in this horrible way just so she could once again let us know that Naomi Campbell was mean to her. We got it! Anyway, resilience, blah blah blah.
Marvin and Jourdan give some competitive interviews, and then it's time for Tyra to introduce the runway show at Taman Bhagawan, which means "beautiful garden of good fortune." It will be a good fortune, she says, for one of their models. And with that it's time to get this sizzling show started…with fire twirlers! Audience members are holding up various signs that were obviously written by production assistants on the show, since they say things like, "186 countries!" in English. Some of them actually have glitter on them, because if fashion is about one thing it's arts and crafts. The winner of Cycle 21 gets a full-color spread in the Michael's mailer!
But wait, it's not ACTUALLY time for the show to begin. Rather, Johnny brings Cycle 19 winner Laura James backstage. She'll be walking in the show, too, and tells the models that she knows just how they feel. Her profound piece of advice to our finalists is to be fierce and smize. How transformative! How insightful! Johnny reminds everyone that tonight is also all about theatrics, since they'll be recreating on the runway that awful video that they made. He tells them to stay in character, which is bad news for Cory. Further bad news, I should say. Laura talks to Cory, who is crying in the corner, and is kind as she tells him that he'll be amazing. He wishes that he could have had some time to process his elimination alone, but Laura hugs him and tells him that he's going to work it SO hard that the judges will wonder what they've done. Johnny's final piece of advice to the contestants is not to fall. And if they do fall, they should fall beautifully. God, I really hoped this meant that someone would fall. Jourdan talks a little about how this is what she was born to do, and we hear the call that it's one minute until show time.
And then there's yet ANOTHER introduction by Tyra, who tells the audience that the models will stomp to the death whilst wearing fashions by Tex Saverio and someone whose name sounds like Louie Salawagi, but since we never actually get captions of these names I can't confirm it. We see Tyra run to her seat in the audience, and for some reason she's dressed in a completely different outfit. Maybe Bali chooses your wardrobe, too? Marvin and Jourdan both talk some smack about each other, and then we go back to Tyra. She says that during her time in Bali, she got to understand (I'm sure not reductively AT ALL) how the culture revolves around good and evil. That's where our story begins. With good Tyra Banks and evil Naomi Campbell!
So, sigh. Tyra, in her second outfit but back on the runway (do the editors actually care as little about this show as the rest of us at this point?) says that tonight is a very special and dramatic fashion show. The three finalists shot a fashion film that will weave into the story on the runway. Every single day in the modeling industry, says Tyra, a young girl is discovered, and her life can change on a dime. And just like every other girl, says Tyra with all seriousness, that girl is susceptible to…damaging relationships. In fact, one in four American young girls are experience such damaging relationships right now. And…could you define the term "damaging relationships"? Is she talking about abuse specifically? The audience looks confused as well, and also a little bit bored. The question that we will ask, says Tyra, is which fate will Jourdan choose? We shall find out soon, and beginning with our short film: DANGER LOVE. Yes. DANGER LOVE.
The film has a soundtrack, which is sadly not a modified version of "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins. It starts off with Jourdan and Marvin smiling at each other in very bright light, and embracing. They are both wearing white. And then Jourdan runs off, with her hair bouncing in the breeze, and Marvin runs after her, with his legs flailing behind him at odd angles. And then…maybe Jourdan is a ghost for a minute? I don't know. In any case, she happens to stumble across a photo shoot featuring Cory and Laura, and everything turns to black and white. Photographer Rob Evans spots Jourdan and motions for her to come over. She's all like, "Moi?" And then he puts her in the shoot, garnering evil looks from Laura. And then Cory and Jourdan start making out for the cameras, and Marvin -- who was really only a few paces behind her but I guess got lost for five minutes -- sees it all and has a sad.
And then it is ONE YEAR LATER! Jourdan wears fancy clothes and is on another modeling shoot. I think. She walks off the set and happens upon Cory making out with Laura. BETRAYAL! Says a caption. Cory gets up and starts to kiss Jourdan rather roughly, and with an evil look on his face. Jourdan pushes him away and runs off. And then suddenly things are in color again! And she is a ghost again! And so is Marvin, who is there, wearing the same clothes as he was a year ago. They run toward each other and embrace, and then he pushes back her face…to reveal a giant bruise on her temple. Awkward! And then she has a flash of Cory in her mind, and starts running yet again. The real question of this film is, why is Jourdan always running? But the question that we are told is the official question for our contemplation is, "Who will she choose?" Boy, I hope it's the abusive cheater! And that concludes Danger Love.
So, then the runway show begins. Jourdan, Cory and Marvin all walk out on the runway as Jourdan gives us a synopsis of the Danger Love plot, because the average ANTM watcher's IQ is 16. Mine included! Marvin is happy that he gets to play the good guy, and tries to emote by placing his hands over his heart at the end of the runway. There is a brief interlude with some sort of Balinese performer, and then Laura heads down the runway. Tyra is impressed, and Kelly yells at her from the audience. Jeremy takes a pass on the runway and Tyra says that he looks amazing even though he doesn't. We see Jiana, who actually does look fantastic. And then there's Cory. He tells us that he knows he's a fierce, androgynous male mode. And he's going to be himself and rock it out. Oh, ha, and then there's Phil. He hasn't taken a shower since he got kicked off of the show, I think. Kanani walks and looks great, and then Tyra screams, "Ice cream man!" at Mike and you can tell that Kelly thinks he still walks like he's wearing a diaper.
After a quick glance at Nina, we see Marvin. He reminds us that he's a janitor's son turned into a model, and is happy to be exactly where he is. Well I guess so. Then Jourdan walks out on the runway, with her hands on her hips the whole time. She feels fierce, sexy, confident and all around good. Then her dress gets stuck underneath her shoe so she stumbles for a second, but it's not a major flub. She keeps going like a pro, and sort of hobbles when she finally gets backstage. Jourdan tells us that she has to win this competition, and doesn't have a plan B or the financial ability to start over again. Yeah, but is she a janitor's son? The answer is maybe. Marvin is heartened by the fact that Jourdan is freaking out over her stumble, and hopes that she has a complete mental breakdown and he wins by default.
The models are changed into their outfits, and Marvin reflects even more on how happy he is about his Bronx to Bali journey. Jourdan is outfitted in what appears to be a dress made of metal, and tells us that she wants to be a role model and example that violence and abuse is not okay. And if you're in a situation like that you have to leave, which is what she did. You KNOW she thinks Danger Love is very, very profound.
So then there is what can only be described as a SCENE on the runway. Cory walks out, being photographed by Rob all the while. He's sassing it up, but then Marvin comes out shaking his head and looking mad. And then Jourdan comes out and stands between them. And say what you will about Jourdan - her legs look unbelievable in that metal dress. She explains to us that her character realizes that she's not happy with abusive, violent Cory. Well, that's a twist. She gets real empowered and pushes Cory down, because what better way to fight against violence than with violence? She then steals Rob's camera so she can take photos of Cory's humiliated face. And then she grabs Marvin and kisses him right on the lips. Marvin was not expecting this, but Jourdan says that she has too much invested in this competition to just kiss him on the cheek. Marvin thinks she did this to throw him off, but claims it didn't work.
Cory gets up after Jourdan and Marvin stomp off and follows them. And then Laura walks again, followed by Don, Renee, Chris H., who looks like a nutcracker, and Cory again. Then there's more Marvin, who talks about the pride he has in his Latino background. Then there's Jourdan again, in her chain metal cape and headpiece. She handles the outfit with aplomb, and believes that she's going to win the competition. And then we get our final words of wisdom from Danger Love: "For every woman everywhere, there is hope." Not for me, who has recapped eighteen seasons of this shit! Where's my fashion film? Oh God, and then the models all walk down the runway with that stupid "2-0" hand symbol that Tyra keeps trying to make a thing. No wonder Versace fired her at the last minute.
Backstage, Laura high-fives the finalists, and Marvin and Renee get a little smoochy-smoochy time. Johnny tells both Jourdan and Marvin that they blew him away, and he's glad that he doesn't have to be on the panel because he doesn't know what he'd do.
Back at the resort, Marvin sits and thinks and tells us that he's proud of his runway performance and thinks he outshone Jourdan. Jourdan says that the runway gave her a lot of confidence for the final photo. Yes, there is a final photo! And it will be shot by Tyra. They're doing it in front of a banyan tree, and Tyra talks about how she's an ART photographer. An art photographer whose medium is Flixel, and who paints abs on Marvin using bronzer. She also draws XX symbols on them because: Art. Marvin is feeling good about his shoot, but Jourdan thinks that he's having trouble understanding how Tyra wants him to move his body. Jourdan, meanwhile, gets mad wind in the hair, and seems to do a fine job taking direction from Tyra. I think Tyra spends about 90 seconds photographing each of them. It's because she cares! About art.
With that, we're at panel! Marvin ad Jourdan are both in their runway looks, and Tyra -- who is wearing some sort of vintage '30s hair -- tells them how proud she is. In this final week, she says, she and the other judges -- Rob, Kelly and Bryan representing social media -- will look over their entire body of work. There are prizes: a spread in Nylon magazine, a contract with Models, and a $100,000 Guess ad campaign. The first piece for evaluation is the first runway pass. Kelly says that she's so proud of Marvin, and remembers the first time she saw him when he was more janitorial than editorial. She thinks that in the runway show he was beautiful and she was in love with him. Rob agrees that Marvin had a presence on the runway, and that the little girls in the crowd were going crazy. Jourdan, meanwhile, was so fierce and beautiful and confident, according to Kelly. She had an Italy walk, and nobody could keep up with her.
And then there was the second walk, in which their little scene was enacted. The panel re-watches Jourdan kissing Marvin. Tyra found Marvin's reaction awkward but also kind of liked it, since it was more or less in character. His walk was strong, sexy and beautiful, according to Tyra, and he really connected with the audience. Jourdan, meanwhile, was "the autumnal queen of effervescence, eternal, divine sun" according to Kelly, who adds that her legs looked sexy and amazing and even able to sell tube socks. Tyra says that everything that Jourdan did was flawless, until she got to the point where she was photographing a knocked-over Cory. In that moment, she forgot that she was modeling.
Then there is a review of Flixels past. During nail week, Jourdan rocked it but Tyra took two points off for having no neck. That shot was her highest social media score, and it was Marvin's as well. Tyra thought that Marvin looked like a male supermodel in his nail shot, who didn't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day. During the shoot when they were doused with paint, Jourdan was splashed with sunrise smize and didn't even realize it. Kelly thought the shot was beautiful, and Rob agrees that everything about the shot was good. Marvin's paint shot, however, got mixed reviews. Then, much to Marvin's chagrin, they review that shot in which they laid in the grass with books all around them. Marvin looked like Howdy Doody, and Jourdan didn't do such a bang-up job either. Then there was the rice paddy photo. Jourdan's photo had a stunning pose, but Rob argued that it wasn't appropriate for the context. Kelly gets frustrated again about the trend in modeling in which you're not supposed to look like a model, but Tyra says that she finally sees what Rob is saying despite thinking he was just being a hater at first. Rob suggests trying to meld into the environment and be natural when it is called for. Marvin, meanwhile, can speak to a lot of different audiences, according to Tyra. Caucasians! Latinos! Asians! Marvin is everybody's brother. Plus, according to Kelly, he's super-sexy.
There was also the Guess campaign, in which Rob thought Jourdan could pass for an actual Guess model. Kelly points out that you don't just want to be a girl who passes, but the model who makes the most money for the brand. This photo wasn't one of Jourdan's best for social media, reports Bryan. Marvin's Guess photo was handsome, but young. Kelly doesn't think it's sexy enough to get an older audience. Finally, we get to see the photos that Tyra took of them during this episode. Kelly thinks Jourdan looks like a flag flying super high, I guess because of the wind. Rob agrees, saying that Jourdan has come very far from when she first started. Tyra loved shooting Jourdan, and says that she never stopped modeling. Marvin's photo gets raves for Tyra the photographer, and Rob says that his body looks much better with the shading. Kelly congratulates Marvin, saying that it takes a lot to pose in the way he is in this photo. He's been transformed, and Kelly says that it's been a pleasure to watch his progress. Tyra tells the models that it's time for the judges to deliberate and talk about Jourdan and Marvin as models AND as human beings. Wait…they're human beings?
We get to see the judges' deliberation, which starts with Bryan. He says that Marvin has cheekbones for days, and what social media loves about him is that he appeals to so many cultures and backgrounds. He specifically mentions Marvin's strong Latino and gay fan bases. Kelly calls Marvin fresh-faced, and says that she would cast him. He's charming and has great energy, and Tyra says that on set he's a doll. Rob can see Marvin working, purely based on his drive, which seems to be greater than Jourdan. Kelly says that Jourdan isn't going to be a rabble-rouser, but when she walks into a room she looks like a model. Rob notes that he knows beautiful models who don't work as much as they could…because they're dull. Tyra interrupts to say that she was as boring as hell on set. But then she was all boom-boom-boom when she got in front of the camera. The client wants a great model, says Kelly, and they don't care so much about personality. It's all about nailing the shot, and all about the money, and Jourdan takes amazing pictures. Tyra wonders if Jourdan looks specific enough, and Bryan says that she looks expensive, and like a beautiful canvas. However, Tyra seems to think that she doesn't have a signature that makes her stand out. Kelly contends that if she worked with the right makeup artists and photographers, she could kill it.
The judges argue about who is better for Nylon, and then they review the Guess shots and who would be best in a campaign. Rob wants Marvin to get the campaign, saying that for males it's hard enough to get exclusive contracts. Kelly argues that Guess is super powerful in the women's industry and rules the denim world. As a marketing and PR person, she says, she wants Marvin. He's going to open it up and could bring a whole new level of profitability to the company. Bryan, however, thinks that Jourdan represents the ultimate Guess girl, and provides an aspirational image to people around the world. Tyra points out that Jourdan has very few people on her catwalk crew, and wonders if that in some way is representative of the fans. Bryan thinks that it does, despite being a staunch Jourdan supporter.
Our two finalists stand before Tyra, who says, "We're nervous, aren't we?" Because she is the Queen of Danger Love. In any case, the judges have scored Marvin and Jourdan's entire body of work throughout the cycle -- there's no challenge and no social media score that will count here. So who's America's Top Model? We see numbers flip around on the screen, and after a moment we learn that it's Jourdan. Wait…even though Tyra says that there's no social media score, one is listed when we see the final numbers. And…wait. The final numbers that are listed are totally just the judges' scores from the Guess photo shoot, which we saw at the beginning of the episode when they eliminated Cory. Such integrity with the hard data! Such fact checking!
Anyway, Jourdan. She cries and cries with happiness. And Marvin tears up as he says that he's like the one kid who got the shot that he never thought he'd have. He didn't think that kids like him got chances, but the fact that he's standing to Jourdan and in front of the judges proved to him that there's a chance for everybody, no matter how bad your story is. Awww, Marvin. He will make a charmingly inept motivational speaker one day. Tyra tells Marvin that he's not a boy anymore, and he needs a little time to let the man truly emerge. I imagine that Rene will help him with that. Marvin tells us that he did accomplish a lot during the competition, and has grown. In time, he thinks he'll be a supermodel and is going to keep at it. He knows that his dad is proud of him, and Marvin can't wait for his bright future.
Jourdan hugs Tyra, who tells her that she's amazing. Tyra admits that she wanted a boy to win, but Jourdan killed it on the runway and during the final photo shoot she was undeniable. She's strong and beautiful and has a story that so many girls can relate to and that is the plot of Danger Love. And then Tyra says that Jourdan can take a higher percentage of good pictures than she can, which is something. She has it, and Tyra tells her to push and push and push. And also maybe be a little less boring. At this time last year Jourdan was packing her bags and moving out of an unsafe situation, and now she's a Guess girl. And backstage, Chris and Mike each get $1,000 to go with their sunrise smize tank tops. As we reflect on how all the terrible people in life get rewarded, the episode ends and Tyra announces casting for Cycle 21: Girls and Guys Two Electric Boogaloo.
And thanks to all of you who made it through this cycle with me! Now go and forget that "booch blue" existed even for a fleeting moment.
Potes believes that for every woman everywhere, there is hope. Tweet her @traciepotes or email potesypotes@gmail.com with your own story of Danger Love.